


Paper Crane

by piattos



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Accidental Bonding, Accidental Kissing, M/M, Romantic Comedy, getting caught up in the moment, zackowsan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24054187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piattos/pseuds/piattos
Summary: For Zack, a slow day at Team Red headquarters means another attempt to bond with his favorite ninja, Shadowsan.
Relationships: Zack/Shadowsan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 44





	Paper Crane

**Author's Note:**

> There's nothing to explain. I wrote what I wrote and that's on a period. *whip crack*
> 
> ~shout out to sugarandmemories ([cinnalando](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cinnalando/pseuds/cinnalando)). I just fell in love with the art and now this ship.~

It's not everyday that HQ was at a standstill, so when Zack saw Shadowsan just sitting on the couch in the living room part of their home base, he decided to sit next to him, earning a disapproving grunt from the old man.

"Yo, sensei," he greeted. "How about we start with those lessons right now? I mean, nothing's happening today."

Shadowsan tried to ignore him.

"I'm super bored, y'know," continued Zack. "And I feel like I'm in a learning mood. What do you say?"

Shadowsan's eyebrows furrowed even more. _Can he not take a hint_ , he asked to himself.

"Right. You're the strong silent type," noted Zack. "I think I can pull that off with some training. Ivy often tells me I should put a sock in it but it's just that sometimes I can't help but express myself, y'know? But I think once I master that, hah! Imagine my sneak attacks. Ivy's gonna wet herself. She won't even see it coming."

If Shadowsan were the more expressive type, he'd have had lost his composure earlier the more Zack continued to prattle on. Not wanting to lose face, he sighed heavily from his nose, and let out an audible groan.

And before he knew it, he and Zack are in his room where they were sat across the kotatsu, and on top it are square sheets of colored paper. The old man had relented just to silence Zack's rambling for a hot moment.

"I don't feel comfortable sitting like this," said Zack, who shuffled his legs constantly from his kneeling position. "Can't I just cross my legs?"

"We are going to do origami," announced Shadowsan, ignoring Zack's complaints. "The ancient Japanese art of paper folding."

"Paper folding? Art?" Zack repeated. "As in arts and crafts? Aw, I thought we were gonna do _martial_ arts or hand to hand combat stuff! I've already folded enough paper planes back in my day."

"Silence!" exclaimed Shadowsan. "It is paramount to have a light touch when planning a surprise attack on your opponent or stealing an object from under their nose. And that can be exercised through this delicate craft."

Shadowsan took a piece of paper from the pile and instructed Zack to do the same. "We are going to start with the basic crane."

"Like the one that you drive around and pick up heavy stuff?" asked Zack.

"No!" said Shadowsan, annoyed. "Like this one." On his hand, he presented a paper bird with large outspread wings, folded neatly from the paper he had taken not too long ago. Zack was impressed.

"Whoa! That's wicked fast," he said. "Dunno if I could do that."

"Obviously not. That's why I shall instruct you." Shadowsan grabbed another piece of paper. "First, fold it like this." He folded the paper in half, making a triangle.

"Like this?" asked Zack.

"No. The colored part of the paper should be folded outside." Zack attempted to fold the paper to the opposite direction, but Shadowsan grabbed his hand, making him yelp a little. "Never mind that. There is no room for error."

He promptly swiped the paper off of Zack's hands, giving him a fresh new one.

"Begin again," he said.

Zack was a little stunned at the touch but he snapped out of it. Remembering the first instruction, Zack folded the paper on its colored side outward. "I did it!" said Zack, proudly showing the paper he folded into a triangle.

"Good. Now we take this corner and fold it to the right."

Zack followed Shadowsan as carefully as he could. Zack followed suit, but Shadowsan was less than pleased with the result.

"Your fold was uneven and sloppy. Begin again."

"What? Seriously?!"

Much to Zack's chagrin, he had to repeat all two steps in a new piece of paper as always. Unfortunately, Shadowsan remained unsatisfied.

"Again!"

So Zack folded...

"Again!"

...and folded...

"Again!"

...and folded until he managed to get a paper cut.

"Ow! That stings!" cried Zack.

"Stay focused," ordered Shadowsan. "Again!"

"But my finger hurts and my legs have fallen asleep," whined Zack.

"So you are ready to give up when we've only just begun?"

"I..." Zack remained speechless.

"The choice is yours." Shadowsan eyed at the door behind him.

"No, sensei. I can do this," said Zack, determined. "I just didn't realize it was gonna be _this_ hard."

"Difficulty strengthens our resolve. You must have patience." Shadowsan breathed deeply. "Now, begin again."

"Tch. Ya don't have to tell me twice," laughed Zack as he grabbed a piece of paper. "You probably think I'm such a loser for not being able to get the first few steps, huh?"

"Speed is not that important. Remember to take your time."

"But it doesn't have to be perfect, does it?" While saying that, Zack accidentally folded a corner too hard, producing a small tear on the paper. "Oh shoot!"

Shadowsan growled at this and slammed his fists on the table. "I will guide you, but I will only do this once!"

Shadowsan took hold of both of Zack's hands as he grabbed a new sheet of paper for them to work on. Zack's face was turning red. Or at least, redder than it was before.

"Lay your hands down on the table and pay attention!" ordered Shadowsan before moving Zack's hand to fold the paper. "To make sure the fold is precise, bring the two corners together and hold them down like this. To fold it as tightly as possible, use your fingernail."

Zack tried holding back a sound when Shadowsan touched his fingers, moving them along the sides of the paper. The paper cut from before was all but forgotten..

Shadowsan guided Zack's hands to take the top flap and open it, creasing both sides to fold the top and right corner to the bottom corner, then turning it over to do the same on the other side. "You now have the square base," said Shadowsan. "Then we take both sides of the top layer and fold them in to meet at the middle..."

Zack's mind went blank and his body went limp as Shadowsan carried on speaking to him in a strict, authoritative tone with a hint of patience that was about to wear thin, all the while manipulating his hands and fingers on the table. Shadowsan's words were beginning to mumble and echo. He was sure that he had already missed some instructions, and his palms were beginning to sweat.

 _Oh God, he's gonna notice_ , Zack worried in his mind.

Shadowsan even stopped for a moment to point that out. "Keep yourself under control, I do not wish to start all over because of wet paper."

"S-Sorry..." he stammered.

"Now as I was saying, we pull one layer up from the bottom..."

Again, Shadowsan's words began to disappear like a fading reverb. He slightly looked up from the paper they were folding to Shadowsan's face. He saw a drop of sweat running down from his temple to his cheek. His narrow eyes were in deep focus. Then those same eyes met his own wide blue ones, forcing him to avert his gaze back to the paper. Shadowsan let out that signature growl. Zack's heart raced, but not exactly because he was intimidated.

"Sorry... again...."

"From this point on, you _must_ focus. Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Yes, sensei."

True to his word, Zack kept it together and listened intently to Shadowsan's voice. up to the last instruction.

"And finally, we bend the wings down and pull them outward. "

Just like that, Zack was now holding a paper bird in his hands. "Wow... Wicked cool! It actually looks like a bird!" said Zack in amazement.

Shadowsan observed the way Zack gazed at the simple crane in his hands. His face then changed to melancholy. "I remember when my brother and I used to do origami together. Whenever I wanted to make something new, he would hold my hands and show me how."

"Like this?" Zack held Shadowsan's hand gently. "Like what we did just now?"

"Yes. It was easier for me to remember every step when he did that. Sometimes it would take me more than once to memorize it."

"I see..."

The look on Shadowsan's face softened, his eyes stared at the floor with a somber look. But Zack had something different in mind from the way their hands remained holding together. When the simple hold progressed to their fingers interlacing, Shadowsan barely responded to the change. It looked like he was too in deep thought.

Then he was suddenly brought out of it when he felt Zack's lips suddenly pressing his own. The young man's eyes were closed and his face was in a deep red color. In shock, Shadowsan pushed him away, making him stumble down on his butt, confused.

"What in the world was _that_?!"

"But I thought... We were... You were... I-I uhh..."

Zack covered his face. He felt like wanting to melt into a puddle. He tried to run away, but his legs had become numb from sitting on his knees for so long.

"Ah! Pins and needles!" he cried. "Oh man! Oh man! Oh man! Oh man..." Zack kept on repeating as he crawled on all fours out of Shadowsan's room in utter embarrassment, leaving Shadowsan to still wonder what just transpired.

An hour later, HQ was back to its usual busy state with an announcement from Player through the laptop. They have a mission tomorrow, but first, they were going to have dinner tonight. Zack overheard this as he lay face down on the sofa. Neither Ivy or Carmen asked him why he was laying there like that, concluding that he just got bored waiting for them.

"Bro, it's chow time. Get up," informed Ivy.

"I'll be up in a few," mumbled Zack.

Shadowsan appeared from his room and walked right past them.

"Hey, Shadowsan," greeted Carmen. "It's dinner time. We got fish."

"A-actually, I'll be at the cafe. I shall return momentarily."

And with that, Shadowsan was out the door. Carmen raised an eyebrow. She could've sworn he heard a stutter from him. That was unusual. And it looked like he was in a hurry to get out of here.

Zack lifted his head up from the sofa, and said, "Ok, I'm hungry now. I'll be at the table."

Carmen and Ivy watched him struggle to get up from the furniture and gingerly walk away to the kitchen. The two girls looked at each other, acknowledging the strangeness of their behavior.

"Carm? Did... did _something_ happen here while we were gone?" asked Ivy.

Carmen was just as perplexed. "I... don't know," she simply answered. "And I don't think I want to."

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think. Comments make me happy :)


End file.
